Big Sister
by jelispar
Summary: Continuation of "Divorce". Remy is hung over, Rogue is in labor, and Celeste just wants to know what is going on.


Disclaimer: I lay no claim to any of the characters represented in this story except Celeste, Michael, and baby. If you want to use them let me know. Marvel...eh you know the drill, same old same old. All those who don't review may become subject to raging foot fungus, you have been forewarned.

AN: Hello again. Continuation of "Divorce," if you haven't read that one there are some underlying jokes you might miss, especially with Michael so for full enjoyment I'd suggest you read "Divorce" first. Celeste won't leave me alone, and she was rather anxious for that baby I'd been promising her, so without further ado...

Every girl dreams of being married, meeting that perfect man, having the perfect wedding and spending the rest of her life in pure matrimonial bliss with about thirty or forty babies somewhere along the way. Every girl does not dream of waking up nine months pregnant the morning after the Super Bowl to a hung-over husband and a six-year old daughter who insists on rationalizing the nutritional merits of leftover salsa and cupcakes for breakfast. However, when that happens, she just has to sit there, shake her head and tell herself that it was just going to be "one of those days."

This was precisely what Rogue found herself doing that particular Monday morning from the moment she waddled out of bed to the sounds of groaning and clattering in the kitchen, accompanied by the ever popular: "EEEEWWW! Momma, Daddy just throwed up in the sink!" All signs that it was going to be a wonderful day. A whirlwind morning in fact, where Rogue anticipated herself repeatedly saying things like: "You eat that for breakfast and y'all will be even sicker than your father," "No Remy, we don't have any antacids left. You were s'posed ta do the shoppin' this week," "Ah swear by all Ah hold holy, if you touch those cupcakes ah'll smack yoah bottom raw, now eat youah cereal." However, before she could even get her first foot through the doorway, Rogue found herself rocked by the strongest contraction to ever plague womankind and before she could say "damn" was on the floor with Remy at her side.

Thankfully that Cajun husband of hers would have to be either dead or extremely drunk to ignore even her tiniest aches and pains. "Y'alright chere?" He asked, kneeling next to her, looking half horrified and half green. Rogue just nodded that yes, she was perfectly fine while Remy helped her and her rounded bulk back onto two feet. For Rogue this was normal, although the baby still wasn't due for two weeks. With Celeste she had suffered like this for a week at least.

"Momma?" a voice squeaked from the counter, and it took Rogue a minute to realize that the voice was coming from a chocolate smeared mouth.

"Yah gave her cupcakes for breakfast!" was the first thing Rogue managed to spit out, turning on her husband, who, to his credit, did look slightly apologetic.

"Chere, I have de world's worst headache right now, if it'd get her ta stop screechin' like one 'a Sean's kids I'd've given 'er a whole candy store." Before the little girl could even open her mouth to agree, Remy looked over his shoulder at her. "Don' get any ideas 'tite."

Rogue would have gone on yet another rant about responsible parenting, and the problems with feeding children chocolate cupcakes for breakfast when somebody distracted her by knocking on the front door. "I'll get it!" Celeste yelled, bouncing off her stool at the counter and down the hallway to the front door.

"Consider yourself warned Cajun." Rogue stated dryly to Gambit, who was presently emptying out more of his stomach in the sink. "An' we do have a bathroom." A thumbs up was her only answer before Celeste came back into the kitchen followed by her best friend, Michael Drake, who was still sporting the shadow of one impressive shiner.

"Momma, Uncle Bobby sent Michael over to see if we had any apperin he could borrow. Michael says Uncle Bobby is hanging over like Daddy." Michael stood back and nodded.

Rogue just mumbled something about "men and their foos-ball" and grabbed a bottle of Excedrin migraine out of one of the cabinets. "Here, Michael, give yoah Daddy this, an' tell 'im he can only have two or he'll be even more sick." To emphasize this Rogue held up two fingers. "Got that?" Michael nodded and traipsed back out the door, while Celeste meandered into the living room for her daily allowance of mind numbing television. "How much did y'all drink last night?" Rogue asked Remy in astonishment.

The Cajun just looked at her, nursing his glass of water and dry toast. "Trut' chere, y'd 'ave ta ask Logan. I don' remember much past de first 'alf, except Drake pukin' in one o' Jeanie's potted plants and Scott laughin' at 'im like a lunatic."

"Dear Gawd." Rogue muttered and began preparing breakfast when yet another contraction sent her to her knees. "What tha hell." She cursed, while Remy once again helped her to stand.

"Y'sure y're alright, chere?" Remy asked, the concern in his eyes clouding over the nausea. "Is it de baby?"

"Contractions." Rogue muttered and turned back to what she had been doing, but this time with Remy right by her side. "It's fine shugah, this all happened last time too." But before she could continue to cajole him, Remy had her sitting at the kitchen table, feet up with a pillow behind her back.

"You take it easy, chere." He said, more chauvinism than concern now sparking in his eyes. "No wife of mine's gon' be cookin' while she's in labor. Now what c'n Remy make y'?"

Rogue just laughed, not willing to make the effort of arguing that she was hardly in labor. "Eggs, Cajun." She said, not bothering to tell him how she wanted them, "An' try not to puke in 'em."

"As you wish." Remy nodded, that crooked grin gracing his face.

* * * * *

Celeste and Michael sat on the swing set, or more correctly were climbing across the swing set in an effort to reach the slide before the man eating crocodiles underneath could get them. Remy, Scott, Logan, Bobby, Sam, and Warren, all recovered from their earlier escapades, were playing some three on three ball. Rogue sat with Jean, Betsy, and Ororo underneath the large oak tree and let out a sigh. "Ah'm tellin' yah." She continued, looking at the now six months pregnant Jean. "Ah don't know what Ah'll do if this kid doesn't wait for Cecilia to come back from that conference." Since that morning the contractions hadn't gotten stronger, but had continued to come closer together, not so much that Rogue felt she should see Hank, but enough that she'd probably have to see him soon if the trend continued.

"Henry is a very capable doctor." Storm stated, braiding her hair with flowers she'd picked from the garden.

"Oh don't get me wrong, Hank's wonderful." Rogue said, then laid completely down to take some of the pressure off her lower back. "But when you have a kid everybody and their mother is lookin' at yah, an' its just plain weird, if ya know what Ah'm sayin'." Jean nodded, Storm shrugged, and Betsy giggled. "Ah'd just feel more..." before she could finish the statement another contraction hit, stronger than any of the ones she'd had all morning, followed by the tell tale wetness and stickiness down her legs. "Crap!" She yelled, waiting for the contraction to subside before she could do anything. "Remy!" She shouted for her husband, half in a panic. It hadn't happened like this last time, last time she'd been in the med lab, with Cecilia and Remy, not out in the open with nobody expecting this to happen. And Cecilia wasn't even here. 

Jean was the first person to realize what exactly was going on. A telepathic message to her husband, and the men came running as fast as they possibly could, with Remy a good three feet in front. "What happened? Chere, y'okay, c'n y' walk?" Remy shouted after sliding on his knees to them, cradling his wife's face in his hands.

"Mah water broke." She stated matter of factly, letting Remy help her into a sitting position. By now the kids had realized something was wrong, Michael had crowded his way to the front to see what the fuss was about, while Celeste stood outside the mob of people hands in fists at her sides with tears leaking down her cheeks.

"Christ." Remy spat, pulling Rogue to her feet where Bobby quickly grabbed her on the other side. "Bobby, help me get her downstairs. Jean take de kids." With that Rogue made her way down to the med lab.

* * * * *

Celeste stared blankly at the table while Michael taunted her with milk bubbles. Uncle Scott and Aunt Jean told her not to worry, but Daddy had looked so scared! "Michael Drake drink your milk like a human being." She heard Aunt Jean say and the bubbling sound stopped. The next thing she registered was Michael's voice.

"Aunt Jean, where do new babies come from anyway?" Now that piqued her interest, after all she was getting a new baby, how would she know where to bring it back if it broke like the DVD player?

"Well," Aunt Jean said, and Celeste noted that she didn't look too good. "After the baby is done growing in the Mommy's tummy she goes to the doctor and the doctor takes the baby out."

Michael shrugged, seemingly satisfied, but this didn't help Celeste in the least. "How?" She asked, confused.

"Oh, I don't know." Aunt Jean stammered. "I guess I'll find that out when I have my baby, won't I? Now why don't you finish your snack?"

This was useless, and Celeste began to cry in frustration. "I want my Daddy!" She shouted, tears coming faster now. "I want my Momma! I want my Daddy!" Aunt Jean looked flabbergasted, and she tried to comfort Celeste the best she could, but it just wasn't the same. "Momma! Daddy!"

Michael just shrugged and went back to munching on his carrot sticks. "Sweetheart, Momma and Daddy can't see you right now." Aunt Jean tried in her most soothing voice, which did absolutely nothing to calm Celeste in the least.

* * * * *

"Just one more push Rogue, and that should do it." Hank said from his position on the "receiving end" as Logan had dubbed it.

"He makes...it sound...so...easy." Rogue panted, before squeezing her husband's hand again and bearing down as hard as she could. "Aaaargghhh!" was promptly followed by a shrill wail that Rogue and Remy had been waiting to hear for almost eight hours now.

"Congratulations Msr. and Mme. LeBeau, you appear to have a very healthy baby girl." Hank grinned, his eyes shining over his spectacles. "Remy, would you like to do the honors?" He asked, holding out a pair of forceps that Remy expertly grabbed and snipped the umbilical cord.

* * * * *

Eventually Celeste had cried herself to sleep, and now she was awake again, sulking in the couch while Michael played video games, completely oblivious to the world. It wasn't fair! She was about to stomp back to the guest bedroom and sulk in there when a familiar voice floated into the room. "'Tite?"

Celeste turned ever so slowly towards the front door just to be sure, then launched herself full force at the man standing there. "Daaaa-ddy!" She shrieked, letting him pick her up and swing her around. "Daddy I missed you!" She said, wrapping her pudgy little arms around his neck and kissing him on the cheek.

"I missed you too, punkin." He said, nodding at Scott, who had just walked in to see what all the shouting was about. "Girl," he mouthed to answer Scott's unasked question, then walked out into the mansion's main hall with Celeste on his hip. "I got somebody f'r you ta meet, 'tite." Remy said, tweaking her nose gently. "An' she jus' can't wait ta see you."

"Momma?" Celeste asked hopefully.

"Non, besides Momma, dough she's waitin' ta see ya too." By now they were already into the sublevels, and almost to the infirmary. "Now 'tite," Remy said getting serious with her for a second. "Momma's really tired right now, so y' need t' be real gentle with her, understand?" Celeste nodded wide-eyed. "Good girl, now y'ready?" Celeste nodded again, and Remy put her down so he could open the door.

Once the door was open he nudged her inside in front of him until she could see Rogue laying on one of the beds. "Momma?" She whispered.

"Hey baby." Momma smiled and put her arms out for a hug, Celeste went running for her, then remembered what Daddy had said and slowed down to give her a gentle squeeze. "You been good for Aunt Jean and Uncle Scott?" Momma asked, and Celeste nodded yes in response. "That's my good girl." Momma smiled and kissed her on the head.

"Come 'ere,'tite." Daddy said once Momma was done. Celeste made her way over toward where Daddy was standing, next to this big plastic box on legs. He picked something up, out of the box and knelt down in front of her. "Dis is y' new baby sister, Laurel."

Celeste ventured a little bit closer to take a good look at the bundle. Laurel's face was all scrunched up, and her hands were balled into fists. Her eyes were closed, and she had really dark hair on her head. "What d'ya t'ink, punkin?" Remy asked. "D'ya want ta hold her?" Celeste looked up at him uncertainly. "S'okay 'tite, no need ta be shy." Just then Laurel let out a big yawn and scrunched up even more.

"I donno Daddy." Celeste said, looking at the little baby. "She's kinda funny lookin'." 

Remy let out a laugh at that. "Don' worry, she won' look like dat f'r long." Still holding Laurel in one arm, Remy gathered Celeste into his other. "You're her big sister now, Celeste." He said, looking her in the eyes. "Its gonna be y'r job t' help her learn everyt'ing she'll need to know, and make sure she stays out of trouble. It's a big responsibility punkin. Y' t'ink y' can handle dat?" Celeste took one more look at the baby and nodded. "Dat's my girl, now come on we gon' let Momma get some sleep. How bout you an' me go get some ice cream?"

Celeste brightened at that. "Chocolate?"

"Is dere any ot'er kind?" Remy asked, placing Laurel gently back in her crib and swinging Celeste up onto his back. "Let's jus' say bye t' Momma first, okay?"

"Bye Momma," Celeste shouted. "Daddy's takin' me to get ice cream."

"Have fun shugah, I love you." Rogue murmured from her bed.

"I love you too Momma." Celeste waved, then turned to the crib. "Bye Laurel, be good for Momma or she might spank your bottom."


End file.
